‘Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community’ by Robert Putnam

Often times community is thought of as simply a group of people living in a similar location, you can push that idea from there saying it's shared beliefs or interests, and from that you might discern that community isn’t any more or less than bonds between oneself and something that reciprocates what they hold inside. Breaking up the subject again we begin to wonder not only what is community, but what isn’t it. Trial and conflict are inevitable. There will always be struggle alongside the best of experiences. Though deciding where to draw the line between what can be fixed and what simply is harmful amongst a community will always be a challenge. **

Social network and social connectedness are important to the health of not only individual human beings but also the community and even the entire society. However, the connection among people had been declining for years. As Robert Putnam analyzes in his “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital,” America’s national election turnout declines, possibly implying the decline in civic engagement and even the democracy. He stresses the importance of the traditional, face-to-face interactions among people as the fundamental means to build up social connectedness. Besides the reasons he gives in his article, I think the decline in social networking also ties to the city constructions (idea inspired by the video “The Social Life of Small

In communities, there are several factors that must be considered. Is there a need for change? Where is

The final piece of creating a new definition of community for me was being exposed to the Community dialog participants words. During the question and answering panel, I created a different definition of community by just listening to enriched experiences that the ladies had over the years. One of the presenter said, “ Whatever happens is yesterday.Today, we try. Tomorrow is a new day.” From this quote and the speaking of the relationships that had been created by community partnerships in this area, I felt my definition of community was bringing small part or resource like, Sister Carmen together to provided more for the whole, the children of Boulder County. I enjoyed listening to the stories of never giving up on a child even, if his or

When the members of a dilapidated and impoverished community are complacent with their current position within society, they are highly unlikely to see any positive change. To gain the attention of the government, one must care about improving oneś community. If a community wants to improve, they must employ the help of representatives that wish to immediately ameliorate them of their problems. However, a community taking this action is quite sparse, for many people are complacent or apathetic towards their current position within society. If people want to improve their material conditions in their community, they must take

Professor Robert D. Putman spent time studying and writing about the decline in America’s social capital and civic engagement. The observations talked about in Putman’s “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital,” have shown a decrease in community involvement and social interaction. In the twentieth century there has been noticeable declines in community involvement. Putman offers the argument that traditional interactions possibly have just been replaced by more modern versions of engagement. Whatever the case, he presents that this is leading to a fall in social capital, which provide certain issues for society. When there is an abundance of social capital in society, there is better education, better economic standing, reduced

Throughout history we see a pattern that includes a boom in society alongside a boom in industry. As industry increases, many people move to cities, causing a lack of community and a greater sense of contribution to society as a whole. On the contrary, when we look at time periods with greater agricultural importance, there are many more close-knit family groups or small communities. This idea came into fruition after reading The New Community by Amitai Etzioni. This piece discusses the role of community and society, and how community is defined as unity and society is defined as diversity. On a basic level, we agreed with this statement. As industry booms, the role of the individual becomes less important, and the diverse skill set of a society becomes more important. In a community, there can be diversity, but all people involved need to have a strong commonality that bonds them. I agree more with an idea presented later in The New Community more. “What we need now are communities that balance both diversity and unity.”(Etzioni) This statement reflects our current society, which is extremely diverse. As a large populace, we need to find communities that will accept our diversity, while still sharing a

Interests groups are more prevalent in today’s politics than ever before, yet Putnam argues that people have become disconnected from social structures. While Putnam claims that individuals who connect to others feel as though they can influence politics, he also claims that these connections are lessening in today’s society. Thus, this primary claim that connections, and thereby, social capital, is reducing contradicts with the widespread increase of interest groups.

“No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” This is the 14th Amendment of the United States of America stating every citizen is to be treated equally and protected by the law. The truth is, there is still a long way to go to achieve this goal. Social Anarchy is spread widely. Starting locally, but expanding to statewide, national and even international problems. From police brutality to

community is to listen and recognize that they are important stakeholders to the community. Giving

There is no disputing the Puritans influence on the molding of our modern day ‘American Political’ and ‘Social Life’. Their ideologies and teachings have left a lasting impression on the American political and social landscapes. Like other Puritan leaders, Winthrop found his guiding principles in the Scriptures and in the teachings of Puritanism. But with the decline of the Puritan state, Americans began to find their guiding principles elsewhere: in egalitarianism, in radical individualism, and in capitalism. Yet the Puritan principles of hard work, independence, and moral strength, shown by men like John Winthrop, survived the passing of the New England way. Such ideals were major forces in shaping the American Revolution and in the growth of the new nation. Today they remain dominant elements in the cultural heritage of the American people.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” is a famous quote from Thomas Jefferson found in the Declaration of Independence. It claims everyone to be equal, and have certain rights that cannot be denied to them. Those are truths that America society has based itself on. The American Dream is derived from the Declaration of Independence in giving the pursuit of happiness through social mobility. Based on the Declaration, American society almost seems to be a utopia. It promises hope and a great future to those who live in it. However, that is not completely true. Real

When one thinks of community, they are likely to think of the general population of a region, or perhaps even that of the world at large. Such a person would have one right idea in mind, but not necessarily the right idea in the context of this exploration. What sets community, in this broad sense, apart from the role it plays in this project, is common interest. English vernacular dictates that “the community” is a term usually reserved for reference to people of a given region; this use of the word community exists without regard for any shared qualities beyond location. In this report, community will describe a group of individuals with commonalities in concerns, aspirations, and most importantly discourse. (cite definition source)

At the moment that individual are comparing Mexico and United States of America what are some of the first things that pop in to one's head? I personally think about food, I absolutely love food. But that is due to the fact that I am a food fanatic. Just like both foods have a different style so does their values they might have similar ingredients but there style is different. Furthermore , it’ll will be exciting to talk about their values in: equality, individualism, and competition.

decline of community: communities are weak and people are increasingly isolated from A their neighbours, at considerable cost to well-being and happiness. •